1. Technical Field
The disclosed embodiments generally relate to the field of printing and more particularly, a printing apparatus and method for printing a scratch-off document.
2. Description of the Related Art
Scratch-off type documents are used in many applications. For example, instant lottery tickets are printed with data that is covered by a scratch-off material. When the scratch-off material is removed by rubbing with a coin, fingernail, or other object, the data under the scratch-off coating is revealed. In addition to lotteries, other such documents are often used for other games, such as retail store contests or product giveaways.
The production of scratch-off documents involves a complex printing application, requiring high volume, low cost printing and numerous areas of variable data. Areas of variable data include, for example, winning indicia, number marking and bar code generation. It may also require a release coating and removable scratch-off printing for the scratch-off layer.
The scratch-off material in a scratch-off document must adhere to the base material sufficiently so that it does not rub off in ordinary handling, but so that it is easy to rub off with a scratching object such as a coin or fingernail. Scratch-off documents are traditionally produced using a preprinted document in which a wax-like coating or film is applied over the data that is desired to be hidden. The application of wax-like coatings requires the use of additional or specialized hardware, thus increasing the associated costs and maintenance associated with producing the scratch-off ticket.
The disclosure contained herein describes attempts to address one or more of the problems described above.